Cheese Curds, 10/31: No moral victory to be found as Packers fall to 3-5

There may be some positives to build on from the Green Bay Packers’ 27-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, but there are certainly no moral victories to be found. This team now sits 3.5 games back of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North while also being down an early tiebreaker, and nobody else in the NFL is going to feel bad for them.

If you’re looking for silver linings, there are some. The Packers’ defense forced multiple turnovers for just the second time all season. Jaire Alexander is still elite, bouncing back in a big way after struggling against Terry McLaurin last week. The running game found big holes, posting a second 200-yard game of the year with a third (week 4 vs. New England) coming up one yard short at 199.

However, the fact remains that this Packers team has not played well for a sustained stretch of time in weeks, and it has certainly not put together a complete game all season. Maybe a game against the struggling Detroit Lions next week will help — that team ranks last in points and yards allowed, while recently scoring zero and six points in back-to-back games before putting up 27 on Sunday. If the Packers want to have any hope of finding their way into the postseason, they’ll need to start finding ways to win and they’ll need to do it quickly.

Here’s a look back at Sunday night’s game from around the Packers blogosphere.

Game recap: 5 takeaways from Packers’ loss to Bills | Packers.com
The Packers' defense seems to make a few big plays here and there, but they need to string together stops more consistently if they're going to actually be a solid unit. Not surprisingly, it would help if they could at least slow down opposing teams' running games.

From Alexander-Diggs to Walker's ejection, chippy play hurt Packers | Packersnews.com
There was a ton of jawing in this game, and it definitely cost Green Bay with rookie Quay Walker getting tossed.

Stefon Diggs, Jaire Alexander start trash talk early, dispute who 'finished it' | ESPN
Both players have a claim to a good performance. Diggs went for 100 yards and a score and the Bills won, though he did none of that damage against Alexander, who was the primary target of his pre-game chatter.

Packers rookie receivers need more opportunities to open up passing game | Packers Wire
On the other side of the ball, the Packers got three deep completions in this game, including touchdowns from rookies Romeo Doubs and Samori Touré. It certainly feels like it's time to get Touré more involved, especially given Aaron Rodgers' comments about his great adjustment on an extended play on his score.

Aaron Rodgers on Packers' 3-5 start: 'Nobody feels sorry for us. We've got to find a way to get one win' | NFL.com
Ultimately, though, it's a fourth straight loss for the Packers, who will have a chance to get their offense jump-started next Sunday against a Lions defense that remains one of the worst in the NFL.

City warns residents: No, you can’t vote Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen in as mayor - Syracuse.com
There's no word on whether Door County will have a similar bar on voting AJ Dillon as its county commissioner, however.